This is part 8 of a 10-part series by Dr. Charley Flint and Jeff Hitchcock, CSWAC’s founders, on our future direction. We value your time and support.
WEEK 8
Politically Conscious Multiracialism
Okay, here’s steps 1 through 5 to developing a politically conscious multiracialism.
Step 1. We are speaking to the owners of multiracial communities and culture. We are speaking to those of us who are invested in making it happen. We are speaking to those of us who are putting some resources and reputation on the line. And we are speaking to those who aspire to do so.
Step 2. We are embedded in a history of struggle against white supremacy, against both avowed white supremacy and white supremacy as manifest under the cover of colorblind ideology.
Step 3. CSWAC’s way is one of several ways to move towards centering an agenda of multiracialism. A politically conscious multiracialism is larger than any single organization.
Step 4. Realize the multiracial community may or may not need the leadership of white people to advance an agenda, but it will clearly fail without the leadership of people of color. If this sounds like humbling white people and honoring leadership by people of color, well, yes. If you can accept this frame, then you are ready.
Step 5. Know that you do not have a collective legal right to build multiracial community. White community still retains the right to preserve its centered monoracial culture.
Case in point, in the US Supreme Court case of Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 (2007) the court ruled that Seattle schools could not carry out a plan to create multiracial schools, and upheld the right of a white-centered monoracial community to schools that reflected their community, without regard to others. The court agreed achieving diversity is a compelling interest, but said the school system had the wrong plan. Time, and additional judicial rulings, have told us that no plan is sufficiently and narrowly crafted, no matter how compelling this interest may be. A right that cannot be exercised is no right at all.
Are we there yet? Multiracialism, once central to the 1990s multiracial movement, refers to individuals of different racial backgrounds uniting as a normative goal. Political consciousness involves awareness of power structures, social issues, and one’s role within them. A politically conscious multiracialism goes beyond unity—it actively seeks to build multiracial social structures while recognizing shared interests and external influences. This approach emphasizes intentional organization and advocacy to foster multiracial communities, families, and organizations within a complex social and political landscape.
What features do we prefer for a politically conscious multiracialism? We take into account the latent readiness on the part of people and organizations already engaged in racial justice work, and new organizations as they might arise. Others might differ. This is our list:
A politically conscious multiracialism needs to:
- Pay attention to issues of relationship and issues of justice in equal measure. When we side too much with one over the other, it distorts the community we seek to make.
- Collaborate and ally with monoracial movements for justice and liberation from white supremacy.
- Speak our name. Say we are here.
- Lift up local experiments and national initiatives in multiracial electoral politics.
- Experiment with policy ideas.
- Raise consciousness.
- Formulate legal strategies. Regarding this, we believe there should be a collective legal right to build multiracial community. How can the current legal structure be challenged and moved from colorblindness to multiracialism over the next generation or two?
- Educate monoracial communities about multiracialism.
- Develop a multiracial media surround. Self-awareness is important for a movement. So, too, is a visible presence.
Regarding this last point, more next week.
Charley Flint . . . . . . Jeff Hitchcock
Next Tuesday: The Multiracial Counterpublic, Rising